1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flour storage container, and more specifically to a device to store, sift, and measure flour.
2. Description of the Related Art
In food preparation, and particularly in baking, sifted flour is an often-used ingredient. Sifting of flour helps to lighten the flour, by aerating the flour and by removing lumps. Sifted flour, however, cannot be effectively stored for a long period without the sifted flour settling, under its own weight, and re-compacting to a degree, thereby reintroducing lumps and losing the benefit of aeration of the flour. As a result, when food preparation requires sifted flour, flour must be sifted as needed and not ahead of time.
Typical flour sifters, long known to bakers and others, require that flour be removed from a storage container and placed into the sifter, and then sifted into a working container such as a bowl, and then removed from the working container for measurement, and finally placed into a mixing bowl or container for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,518, issued on Dec. 5, 1933 to T. Melish, discloses a sifter comprising a cylindrical body having a sifting screen disposed within the cylindrical body. An agitator element is disposed against the sifting screen and assists in the sifting process. Flour placed into a top portion of the cylindrical body is sifted through the sifting screen, falling freely from the bottom of the cylindrical body.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,674,375, issued on Apr. 6, 1954 to H. Clay, discloses a sifter that employs a sifting screen within a container. The bottom of the container has a discharge valve so that sifted flour is retained within the container until the discharge valve is opened. Measuring graduations are formed on the side of the container, allowing measurement of an amount of flour sifted.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0139879, published on Oct. 3, 2002, discloses a powered sifter assembly comprising a cylindrical sifter body having a sifting screen disposed within the body. A motorized agitator assembly pulverizes flour particles against the sifting screen, thereby sifting the flour. The sifted flour falls freely from the bottom of the cylindrical sifter body.
Bakers and cooks will readily recognize that the several steps required in handling flour, from removal from a storage container to finally placing sifted flour into a mixing container for use, create ample opportunity for spillage of the flour, resulting in waste of the flour and a mess to clean up. It is desirable to minimize the handling steps required to provide sifted flour for use in baking or cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 731,577, issued on Jun. 23, 1903 to J. Kinnard, discloses a measuring caddy or cabinet for use in measuring dry merchandise, such as coffee, tea, rice, barley, and more. The cabinet includes a hopper for receiving or storing a quantity of a dry good, and a measuring device for removing a measured quantity of the dry good from the hopper. No mechanism is provided, however, for sifting a dry good, such as flour, as it is dispensed. While sifted flour conceivably could be placed into the hopper and measured, it is disadvantageous, as discussed above, to store sifted flour for a prolonged period before its use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,075, issued on Oct. 21, 1986 to E. Hampton, discloses a combined storage container, sifter, and dispenser for flour. Flour, contained in the upper portion of the container, is sifted by a sifting mechanism into a lower portion of the container. For measurement of the flour, a reducer plate is placed below the sifting mechanism and one or more volumetrically sized measuring cups are attached below the reducer plate to receive sifted flour.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a device to store, sift and measure flour solving the aforementioned problems is desired.